What Kind of a Life is This?
by Lolita91
Summary: "She wasn't just a mistake I'd made when I was a kid. She was my baby girl, and I'd do anything humanly possible to keep her safe." - Mom & kid trying to survive, then meet up with the group on the way to Ft Benning instead of CDC! 2 OCs. Romance. R&R!
1. I Hate Nature

_**Hmm.. So I've had this idea brewing in my head and had to get it on paper. It's an OC story but they meet up with the group eventually... and there's a bit of a romance. xD**_

_**Haven't decided who with, yet, so bear with me xD**_

**_I got the idea from a friend of mine who's 15 and having a custody battle with her 18 year old ex boyfriend over their 2 year old daughter. You can tell this girl would tear hell apart to keep her kid. So that's where you get my main characters. There's only 2 OCs, so don't freak out xD and they WILL meet up with the rest of the WD characters we know and love._**

**_Just be patient!_**

**_Review Please!_**

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><p>"I hate nature."<p>

There, I said it. You happy now, God? You done with your little sadistic games? Pine needles in my hair, huh? Nettle stings from my feet to my head, right? Stepping in mud, too? Really? You just _had_ to throw that in there?

Gah. I was getting _really_ ticked off. My shoes were non-salvageable and would forever be covered in mud and grass and leaves and I-don't-want-to-know what else. My once adorable white and lace shirt was now looking somewhere more along the lines of 'corpse bride', and my necklace had caught on a branch and exploded into a billion microscopic beads that decided to embed themselves in every crevice they could find - seriously, I took off my bra to wash it yesterday and a few dozen poured out. Ain't that a charmer?

And my nearly brand-new designer faded jeans?

Forget it. I'm becoming Amish.

Ever since the world decided to go tits-up and flip out on everyone, I've been in the forest, reacquainting myself with _nature. _Me, my tent, my cave, my make-shift tree house, my secret waterfall, my -er- bush... anywhere I could find somewhere safe to crash for a night. Yes, I know, call me stupid for sleeping in a tent or cave or whatever, but before the zombies, I was a damn unemployed lazy-ass 28 year old living at home and trying to will words onto my laptop for that book I've been planning to write for 10 years, and unending stacks of pizza boxes to atone for my lack of cooking skills. I had no survival instinct whatsoever. Never even been camping.

"So do I." Muttered a small voice beside me. I looked over at the short blonde girl crouched on the ground and picking blackberries from a bush, wincing every time her fingers brushed over the thorny leaves.

Oh yeah. Me and my pizza boxes also lived with my 13 year old daughter, Alaina.

"I miss my concrete jungle..." She rolled her crystal blue eyes at my sing-song voice and turned back to collecting berries.

"Loganville is hardly a 'concrete jungle', mom." She muttered.

"Did we live in a tree?" I asked. "Did we eat berries for lunch and bathe in a river?" She sighed. "Well then. Concrete jungle it is."

She stood up and her eyes pleaded the same question she'd been begging me for weeks. "Maybe we should-"

"We are not going back there, Lainie." I said flatly. "End of discussion."

She scrunched up her face, "But mom-"

"Alaina." She narrowed her eyes and huffed at me.

"Fine."

That snippet of a conversation had been our only words to each other for the past few weeks. Every time I'd go to tell a story, or she'd reminisce about school or friends or family or whatnot, the conversation would always lead us home, and she'd always ask to go back, and I'd always shut her down. I knew in my heart we could never go back. And not just because of the dead- walking the streets I grew up on- but because we'd just _lost so much._ Imagine a 13 year old girl, going back home, after all this? She'd be crushed. She'd have to walk the streets and pass by her dead neighbors and friends and teachers, have to cover her eyes when I saw someone she knew too well. She'd cry when I'd have to shoot them. She'd have nightmares for weeks on end and her already bad sleep-walking would get even worse. She keeps telling me she'd be fine, that she's strong enough to do it. But honestly, I had this one burning concern that snaked its way to the front of my mind and controls my strong disapproval of her plan.

What if we went back there, and she saw her father?

She'd never recover from something like that. I'm keeping her safe by keeping her with me. As long as she's in my sight I won't let anything touch her. Not ever. She's my baby. My little girl. She's been my little girl since 13 years ago when I was 15 and my loser boyfriend slipped drugs into my soda at a party. I never believed in abortion and I'd never forgive myself if I gave her away, so I'd accepted the responsibility of taking care of her myself. My parents were never really parents to me, either, so we really were on our own. But after a while, I realised she wasn't a

'responsibility' to me. She wasn't just a mistake. She was my baby girl. She was my daughter, and I'd do anything humanly possible to keep her safe. Nothing is going to get in the way of my and Alaina's survival now. Nothing.

But how long can we really keep this up? Living in the forest, living off berries and canned food stolen from random houses. Running everyday and looking over our shoulders just in case we're being followed by the dead. Scared every night that when we lay our heads down and close our eyes to sleep, we'll never wake up. What kind of a life is that for a teenager to live? With no one to talk to but her mother and a dense collection of trees after trees after more damn trees?

What kind of life is that for anyone?


	2. Swiss Family Robinson

_**Tada! Free time plus coffee plus inspirational music equals new chappie for my lovely readers!**_

_**Don't worry, they'll meet up with the group soon!**_

_**Review!**_

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><p>The next few days went by relatively the same as the countless weeks before - Alaina barely spoke, and when she did, it was to beg me to take her home, back to Loganville. But I refused to budge. Was it really still our 'home'? If there was even a snowball's chance that we'd be safe there, that she wouldn't have to face those things, then I would have left yesterday. But did I really still believe that there was any hope? After what I'd seen - I hardly thought it was possible. When I'd turned on the news, I thought it was a low-budget cliché zombie movie playing on the screen. When every channel got overrun with the same news reports, I thought it was some sick joke run by the government to get us on our toes - can we say 'swine flu epidemic'? It wasn't until I actually saw one for the first time that the reality of everything really hit me. And it wasn't the fact that the dead man had bite marks scattered across his chest, blood drenching his clothes and matting his hair, or the carnivorous snapping jaw. The thing that really scared me was the <em>eyes<em>. The eyes, blurred over and circled by red, completely void of emotions and any shred of what the human being once was, showcasing the downfall of the human race and what little chance we had of rising back up again. The eyes of the dead were, in a word, _hopeless._

That's what really made me stop and think about this whole mess. There was no way I'd put my daughter through seeing one of those things, and so far, I'd been successful. We had yet to encounter anything remotely dangerous in this forest. The most frightening thing to us was falling out of a tree or eating some bad berries. And I could deal with that.

But I was starting to think we'd never leave this damn forest, that we'd just live out the rest of our lives moving from campsite to campsite and collecting fruit to eat. It's not like we had anything to hunt with, and even then, neither of us would know how to use it, anyway.

We were basically living day by day, canned food to forest berry, tree to yet another freaking tree. There were no drawn-out plans or goals for us, now. All we knew was how to find food, how to find shelter, how to run, and how to survive. We were just surviving.

But were we really living?

"I miss TV." Alaina said quietly one morning. We were sitting in the tree that we had slept in the night before, our legs straddling the thick branches and backs leaning against the thick main trunk. We were quietly scraping what was left of our peaches supply out of the bottom of our respective cans. I sat on a branch a foot and a bit below her, and curiously looked up at her through the leaves while I ate my breakfast. Her expression was sombre and her eyes were sad and distant.

"Yeah?" I asked. "What made you think of that?"

She laughed slightly, "Living out here kind of reminds me of _LOST."_

I smiled, "I was thinking more along the lines of _Swiss Family Robinson."_

She took a bite of fruit and gave me a bemused look, "What?"

I dropped my jaw. "You've never seen that movie? I could have sworn you have."

"Think I fell asleep." She answered, eyes straying back to space.

"You're grounded." I said jokingly, desperate to cheer her up. The corner of her mouth twitched as if she couldn't manage a full smile, still staring at nothing.

I sighed and our conversation faded away, as always. Nowadays, I noticed she didn't even bother voicing her question, it was just a silent request left lingering in the air after every word she spoke. But my silent voice argued with hers and told her no. That happened every time we stopped talking. A wordless argument would float through the air and just hang there heavily over us until we found something better to do.

The next string of thoughts just hit me like a bombshell. I realized how much I missed how things were before. I missed my daughter's smile, and laugh. I missed having her tell me how stupid my jokes were and how much she's going to kill her ex-boyfriend the next time she sees him. I miss how when we both got sick, she'd stay home from school and we'd curl up on the couch together with 7up and chicken soup, watching sappy chick-flicks until our retinas burned.

I missed my Lainie.

"Mom, I'm sorry." My daughter's voice made me flinch.

"For what?"

"I didn't want to make you upset."

"Upset? Who's upset?"

She half-smiled, "You're crying."

She was right. Why hadn't I even _noticed?_ I wiped the stray tears from my face and sighed.

"It's not your fault." I assured her. Her shoulders were still stiff and I knew she wasn't convinced. "To be honest, I just miss... Everything."

She tittered nervously, "Me, too."

I smiled and this time she returned it. But it just wasn't enough for me - her smile just wasn't the same. It was the same shape and the same size as I remembered it, but it never reached her eyes. Her eyes never sparkled. They remained cold and tired, the life slowly fading from them as each day came and went.

My daughter was dying.

And so was I.


	3. Loganville, Georgia

**_I know, shoot me for not updating in foreevvveeeerrr. But here I am again, and merry Christmas ! _**

**_If anyone is reading my other story, "We All Have Our Secrets", I'm on a serious writers block with that one lol. Any ideas feel free to message me !_**

**_Thanks to all my little shy readers on this story, but, could you drop a review, eh? ^.^_**

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><p>I woke up the next morning feeling like I had a hangover. Which was just great. Not only did it make my head spin and my stomach cringe, but it reminded me of how long it's been since I've had a good dose of alcohol in my system. How long has it been since I've seen a bar ? I suddenly had the craving for a good old Irish bar like the ones my neighbors used to drag me into in Atlanta on St. Patrick's day.<p>

I groaned and stretched out, as much as I could, in yet another, you guessed it, flipping _tree._ I yawned and informed my already long awake daughter that we should get moving to our next campsite. We'd stayed here longer than normal and I didn't want to chance another night. She suggested we keep near the river, use it as a landmark. I thought it was a good idea, just in case we had to find our way back someday.

I hopped down from the tree and my boots cracked branches when I landed. I moved out of the way as Lainie followed suit, and together we packed what few belongings we had into our packs and left our traditional note behind, saying, _`You're not alone. Follow the river.' _and then the date. We knew it didn't help much, but it boosted morale to believe that someone might follow our notes and find us one day. I liked to hold on to the belief that maybe we weren't alone, after all.

It was finally the afternoon and Alaina and I were down by the river, I was sunbathing while Lainie ran through the currents - fully clothed - and attempted to cool off from our long walk through a heavily sunlit back road to our new camping grounds. I laughed as she splashed clumsily about, laughing and smiling. It reminded me of the old times, Alaina as a kid spalashing in the bathtub or learning to swim for the first time. But it still wasn't the same. Her smile was too forced and rigid.

She kept jumping about for a little longer, while I kept watch for any movement in the trees, and then eventually retired to the banks of the river, lying on the ground beside me and sighing to herself. Her hair was soaked and looked almost the same dark brown as her father's, and it put me off. Her hair needed to dry quick and go back to blonde, or I was going to start bawling. God, I missed that stupid man. I hated to admit it, but, over the past few days it had really started to hit me.

"Cooled off?" I asked casually, attempting to stray my mind from Brandon.

She nodded, "Yep."

"We should be prepared for it to get way hotter." I thought aloud, "It's the middle of the summer."

"And we're running low on water." She added. I sighed. She was right. We were down to our last supplies.

It went quiet for a moment while we both thought of solutions, and then Lainie spoke up,

"I think we need to take a trip into town."

"Lainie-"

"Mom, we can't keep living off berries. And we could at least find a hunting or camping store. Not to mention, getting a few _feminine hygiene _articles."

She had a point. And I could damn sure use a razor. Nothing made me feel like a woman more than _shaving my damn legs. _A luxury I'd been mercilessly deprived of when we went on the run. The one thing I forgot to bring! A freaking razor ! Why was that not on the top 10 for things in a survival kit ?

I sighed, "Fine, but we're not going anywhere near the house."

"'Kay."

"And you stay in my sight at all times."

"Yep."

"No messing around, either. We get in, get out, as fast as we can."

"Mhm."

"Only get what we absolutely need."

"Yeah."

"I feel like your not listening to me."

"Uhuh- I mean, I'm listening!"

I laughed and she gave me an innocent smile. She shook her head, "We can manage a simple trip into town, mom. It's not like we're walking into Atlanta. It's _Loganville, Georgia._Population... Us."

"Population - Us, the rabbits, and dead people." I corrected.

"Rabbits?" She raised her brows and smirked.

"Yes, rabbits. And birds, and snakes, and all the creepy crawlies we've been sleeping with for the past few weeks."

She shuddered. "Thanks, mom. I needed that."

The next morning we were packed up and ready to go, just after the sun came up. Alaina was always an early riser, and we both agreed we should leave early so we could have as many daylight hours as possible. I was blocking thoughts of Brandon from my mind. _We will not see him,_ I told myself. _He won't be there._

_And I won't have to kill him._

Alaina was raising her eyebrows at me.

"You okay?"

I nodded. We both knew that even if I wasn't, we'd have no choice. I had the last of our water in a half empty bottle in my backpack, along with the rest of our granola bars and a few other little things. We were packing light since the plan was to get back here before nightfall. We weren't staying in town for any longer then we had to. It was too risky.

"Let's go, then." Lainie said.

"Yes, _ma'am_." I joked. She smirked and strode ahead of me and down the trail. I took a deep shaky breath and forced my feet to propel me forward after her.

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><p>Ahahaha did you notice the vague little Boondock Saints reference ? xD<p>

Any ideas on who the mom should fall for when they get to camp? let me know !

Now click that review button !


	4. Something Old

Voila!

Here's a liiittttllle action, but not much. But trust me, it's coming.

Review!

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><p>"It's so... <em>Quiet."<em> I looked over at Alaina and adjusted the straps on my bag as we cautiously slipped into the edges of the town. I tried to focus on the non-existant brightside in our situation, but I couldn't find one. We were both in danger right now, we could both be jumped any second by the ravenous jaws of the long since dead. We were both stiff and edgy, ears and eyes wide open and maybe a little paranoid. I wasn't afraid to admit I was scared. But scared keeps you fast. Scared keeps you on your toes. And so far, it had worked for us. "Why's it so _calm?"_

I shivered involuntarily and rolled up the sleeves of my jacket. "I don't know, Lainie."

I knew it was a lie. I knew exactly why it was so quiet. Calm. Lifeless.

_Dead._

Or in this case, undead.

We moved slowly through an open door into an empty corner shop, and I slipped ahead of Alaina on tiptoes to make sure it _was_ empty. Satisfied that we were safe, I gestured for her to join me and we began filling our packs with what food and water was left on the ransacked shelves. Lainie grinned and tossed me a box of _Willy Wonka's Sweettarts. _AKA my favorite candy on the planet.

"Oh, heaven." I mumbled as I ripped open the package and dropped a half a dozen into my mouth. Sweet. Sour. The taste stung tangy and _fantastic_ in my mouth. Lainie laughed at me and I scoffed at her. "You know how long its been since I've been able to binge on Sweettarts till my tongue bleeds? Too freaking long."

"How old are you again?"

"Mentally or physically?" She laughed so I said, "Physically... too damn old. Mentally... 12, maybe 13."

She scoffed, "Not 13. You don't see me making sex noises over candy."

My jaw dropped. "Alaina Marie!"

She shrugged nonchalantly and smirked at me. "Like I said, I'm 13, nearly 14."

"I don't care!"

"I'm in High School, mom. What else do you think we talk about at lunch?"

By now she was giggling at the gobsmacked _'Holy shit she did not just say that' _look I'm sure was plastered to my face. I just shook my head in shock and continued gathering supplies, when thoughts of her father somehow managed to creep into my head.

_"I feel like a cliche." I muttered, fingering the silver engagement ring on my small shaky finger as I watched the movement in the mirror._

_"Why? This is your day. All about you." Ashley was my makeshift maid of honor after my best friend decided to go into labour during my bachelorette party. Seriously, who does that? My lord. I was left there shaking and nervous and I needed someone to calm my nerves. My bitchy soon-to-be-sister-in-law was definitely _**not**_that person._

_"I'm a cliche. Teen mom shotgun wedding unemployed couple southern twang redneck_ **cliche**_."_

_She snickered and rolled her eyes. "You are not."_

_I looked over at her. "I drive a pickup. I have a 6 year old kid. I'm a high school dropout. I'm from Tennessee. I've got-"_

_"Do you _**ever**_ stop _**talking**_, girl?" I spun around and giggled at the sound of my cousins deep voice as he strode into the room. He gave me a once-over and I gave a dramatic twirl around to show off my mom's old dress. He let out a low whistle and grinned at me._

_"I know, I'm hot." I flipped my hair over my shoulder to emphasize the fact. He chuckled._

_"Time to polish my shotgun, kid. You tell Brandon to be _**very**_ careful."_

_Oh god, Brandon. Brandon Connors. Shit! I was getting _**married! **_I was only 21, what was I _**thinking? **_Holy hell! Was this supposed to be this nerve-wracking? I mean, this guy knocked me up when I was 13 and we didn't talk for a year. Then he came back, swept me off ,y feet, and made me forget everything else for a-_

_Oh God I can't do this!_

_Despite being my usual indecisive and heavily burdened with commitment issues self, 23 minutes later I was grinning and staring dreamily into my stupid boyfriend's eyes, ready to say those dreaded 2 words._

_"I do." A wave of pure complete bliss washed over me and reassured even my darkest fears when I heard him say it first. So sure of what we were doing. So completely sure of _**us.**_ Why was I ever worried?_

_"Michelle Elisabeth Tuttle, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"_

_I looked up at my love and he smiled his 100 watt grin that nearly blinded me. I was sure. So completely sure._

_"I do."_

I wiped a tear from my cheek and turned so my daughter couldn't see my red eyes. I loved that stupid idiot. Even if I'd never admit it to his face. I still loved him. Even after everything he did. Even when he left. Even when I found him with my best friend. Even when he told ,e he could never love me back. I loved him. With everything I had. There was no ignoring it anymore.

We had more then enough supplies now, and I was on edge as it was without staying there any longer. I guided Alaina out the back door and calmly around towards the street so we could cross it and disappear into the forest again. I screwed up my face as we approached the mess of green. I hate trees.

I gave a confused look to Alaina when I heard her grumble at my side. She raised her eyebrow. Her mouth was shut.

The grumble turned into a moan.

The moan was hungry.

And it came from right behind me.

I spun around and at the same time yanked Alaina behind me for cover. I felt her vice grip on my arm as we both stared into the glazed eyes of the dead.


	5. Taking Rides from Strangers

_**Hey! I'm back!**_

_**Review please!**_

...

_**Leyshla Gisel: Thanks! And I think Shane's hot, too xD Lol.**_

_**StormTheKnight: I hate them too! OMG! Lol. I'm slowly starting to like the idea of Shane/Michelle though.**_

_**Samie: Haha I know! I hate how all these OC stories are women who are outdoorsy or military or whatever. (I don't mind it if they have enough realistic flaws to make it realistic) So I made my characters totally NOT nature-people. :) And thanks for the review :)**_

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><p>I stared back at the beast in front of us as tears streamed down my cheeks. My whole body shook and my fists clenched into tight white-knuckled balls. My daughter's grip on my arm could have left bruises, but I didn't care. There was nothing we could do.<br>We had been backed up against the side of the corner shop in all the mess, the dead slowly approaching with slow staggering steps. Each footstep closer sent shivers through my whole body.

My little girl couldn't die like this. I wasn't going to let it happen. When I say I'd rather die before I see her harmed... In this case I really meant it. If the creature reached me first, she could make a run for it and make it to the tree line. She could make it if I gave my life for her. And I was more than prepared to do it if we had no other choice. She was my daughter. She had to survive this.

My thoughts cleared as a loud rumbling filled the empty streets. I scanned m eyes over my surroundings but couldn't see anything. The dead in front of me paused, unsure. I seized that moment of uncertainty and grabbed onto Lainie, yanking her along with me as I broke into a sprint. We ran around the side of the shop, heading down the street away from the town, every footstep further away a blessing as I not heard, but felt, the dead running after us.  
>The rumbling from before grew louder but I was too focused on running to pay it any attention. Lainie cautiously glanced over her shoulder ahead of me and her face twisted in confusion. A shuffling then dull sound of an impact into concrete made me do the same.<p>

The rumbling noise emanated from a lifted blue pickup truck that had just bouldered over our assailant. I stopped in my tracks and Lainie did the same as the truck came to a stop beside us. I looked over at Alaina, her eyes locked on the trampled body behind the truck. I put my arm around her shoulder and she melted into shaky sobs in my arms. I pulled her closer and leaned my forehead on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

There was a loud click and a whoosh of air behind us as the door to the truck was swung open. I pulled back from Lainie to see a man leaning towards us, arm outstretched to open the door.  
>"Y'all look like you could use a ride." He offered. I looked to Alaina but she was nodding vigorously and already heading towards the truck. I laughed internally at the irony. I'd always taught her not to take rides from strangers. Now here we were. I nearly expected her to.<p>

Lainie climbed into the cab and I pulled myself up beside her, shutting the door behind me. The truck moved forward but the three of us sat in shocked silence, all eyes on the road ahead. Alaina cleared her throat and looked over at the gruff man driving. "Thank you." she said quietly.

He nodded and kept his eyes ahead, his mouth a tight line. "You got names?" he asked in a rough southern accent.

"Michelle," I spoke up, "This is my daughter, Alaina."

"Dixon." He said, still not moving his gaze from the road. "Daryl Dixon."

"Well like she said, thank you for this."

"It's nothin'." He mumbled. The cab fell silent again and I got the strangest feeling that we'd only been rescued so it didn't weigh on the man's conscience. It hadn't been a moment of dashing heroism. He did it because he had to.

"Headed anywhere in particular?" Lainie asked.

"Got a camp, up the road a bit, if y'all want."

"Camp?" I asked. I was comfortable with the fact that he saved our lives, but The idea of staying in a campsite alone with this man didn't really sit well with me.

"Yeah. Bunch of us gettin' ready to head out. Lookin' for somewhere safe. Got food, water, tents, all that."

Lainie and I breathed identical sighs of relief. Food? Water ? Protection?

"Thank you." I said.

"Ya keep saying that."

"We mean it."

"Whatever."

I could see we were making him uncomfortable with all our gratitude so I left it at that. The truck was quiet for the rest of the drive, and I looked out the window at the trees passing by as we drove down bumpy dirt back roads. We turned another corner and I sucked air. We were driving along the edge of a gigantic rock-face, the huge gray formation looming up on our left. Out the window on my side of the truck was a deep and beautiful quarry, the water a calm and peaceful sort of blue-green. It was gorgeous... it made me want to forget how dangerous our world really was. It made it hard to believe anymore. How could a place as serene as this, hold hidden dangers at every turn? How could a sky so blue, turn to despairing gray within seconds? Trees lined the other side of the quarry, and a flash of red drew my eyes to a large camper situated on the edge of the rock, a figure standing on top of it with a red and white umbrella attached to a lawn chair. I saw kids running around playing games. A few women sitting around a campfire. Some guys fiddling with engines on cars. Tents, tables, supplies. Camp. Safe. Food, water.

There was the crackling of gravel as the truck pulled in to the camp. Lainie turned to me and grinned.

Home at last.


	6. First Night

**_They're back! And I made up my mind on who Michelle gets with. Just don't expect me to tell you who :)_**

**_Oh and I didn't feel like killing anyone just yet. I liked the characters too much._**

**_Don't worry, I'll kill people later. *devilish grin*_**

**_Anyway, Reviews are welcomed and appreciated as always :)_**

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><p>The truck came to a stop and Lainie and I jumped out enthusiastically. A man in a Sheriff's uniform approached with a confused look to our driver, Daryl.<p>

"Daryl? Who's-"

"Hi, officer!" Lainie beamed and shook his hand. "My name's Alaina. That's my mom. Daryl saved our lives."

"Did he now?" Another man stepped forward next to the sheriff. Daryl rolled his eyes and walked past the pair and down towards a big group of tents.

"I'm Michelle," I shook the sheriff's hand and turned to the other man. He shook my hand but kept the confused look on his face.

"You're saying _Daryl Dixon_ saved your lives?" He asked. I nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, he did."

"Look around you, Shane," The Sheriff said, "Stranger things have happened."

"I don't know Rick, Dixon being sociable has got to be high on the strange scale."

The Sheriff chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm Rick Grimes, this here's Shane Walsh. You're welcome to stay with us, if you'd like."

"We'd really appreciate it," I said, smiling, "We've been on our own until now."

"Just the two of you?" The other man, Shane, asked. I nodded,

"Just us."

"Well not anymore," Rick said with a smile, "Welcome to camp, ladies."

"Thank you!" Lainie squealed and gave Rick a hug before running off into the campsite. I just shook my head as I watched her. Rick went off somewhere else so I was left with Shane.

"So we're heading to Fort Benning, tomorrow morning. You're welcome to come with us. There's plenty of room in the RV."

"Fort Benning?" I asked. "The Army Base?"

"Yeah, you heard anything about it?"

"No, um, it's just sort of familiar, that's all."

'_Sort of familiar' my ass, Michelle, you've been there a million times. _He nodded and gestured over to the camp.

"Let's get y'all settled in."

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><p>A half hour later, Lainie and I had been introduced to the group and we were sharing a tent with Carol Peletier and her daughter, Sophia. Sophia seemed like a sweet kid and she was only a little bit younger then Lainie. And she wasn't the only kid at camp, either. There was Rick's son, Carl, who was Lainie's age. He seemed like a nice kid, too. I was just happy that Lainie was making friends so easily. If only it was that easy for me.<p>

Don't get me wrong, I'm a sociable person. Hell yeah. But Rick had told me that the group just went through a massacre a few nights ago, and they'd been attacked by a group of 'walkers' - as he called them. They hadn't lost anyone but the adults in the group were still on edge and kind of depressing to hang around since it had shaken them up a bit. A few of them had even left the group to travel somewhere else. Although I thought Glenn was pretty cool. And Amy was sweet. Andrea, Amy's older sister, and I, had clicked together instantly and so had me and Dale. Dale was a sweet old guy and he reminded me of my dad.

That night we had a campfire, and Carol and Lori, Rick's wife, served Lainie and I plates of cooked up squirrel. Lainie looked like she was going to hurl but I took a bite bravely and it wasn't too bad. It was real food, and not berries, so I was a happy camper. I was sitting with Andrea and Amy and Lainie had gone over with Sophia and Carl, her new buddies. As I watched I noticed movement behind them and instantly my eyes flicked towards the figure. But it was only that man, Daryl. I noticed he'd taken a plate of dinner and a bottle of beer and was heading back towards his tent. That made me feel bad. The guy just saved my life today and so far the group was treating him pretty badly.

I sighed and stood up.

"Michelle?" Amy asked. "Where're you going?"

I pointed casually, "Going to thank Daryl for saving me today."

"Good luck." Andrea snorted.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to get that man to speak, let alone say 'you're welcome'."

I laughed and shook my head, "I'll take my chances."

I ignored their comments as I walked away and headed towards Daryl's tent. I reached it and was kind of lost for what to do. Knock? On a tent…?

"Daryl?" I called out, "It's Michelle." I paused and then, "Listen I just wanted to come by and say thanks for-"

The door zipped open.

"Well, hey there, little lady."

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry." I babbled, "I'm looking for Daryl, I thought this was his tent. My bad."

The man chuckled and shook his head. "This is his tent. Sleeping beauty passed out a few minutes ago."

"Oh, right," I said, "Well when he wakes up, just tell him I came by?"

He nodded, "Sure thing, sweetheart. What's your name again?"

"Michelle. Michelle Connors."

He grinned, "Merle Dixon."

"You guys related?"

"Yep. Darlina's my baby brother."

I smiled, "Cool. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, hon'."

I smiled and headed back towards the campfire, ruffling Lainie's hair as I passed. She frowned and flattened it down before turning back to Carl and Sophia and their game of tic-tac-toe in the dirt.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning in a bed. Yes, a bed. A motherfucking bed. Oh God I could have cried. I rolled over and stretched, yawning. I sat up and took in my surroundings. Light flooded through the synthetic walls of the tent and the air mattresses next to me were empty save for messes of blankets and pillows. So I slept in, again. Brilliant. I stood up and fumbled around for my bag, getting dressed in shorts and a tank top, then deciding to pull my 'Twilight' hoodie on over the top. Don't judge. It says 'Real Men Sparkle' on it and I thought it was funny as hell. I don't read Twilight. Blegh.<p>

I pulled on a pair of flip flops and zipped open the tent.

A figure appeared in front of me and I cried out, tripping on my own feet and falling flat on my ass.

"Dude, what the _fuck?"_ I groaned, standing up. Shane smirked and helped me to my feet.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

I brushed myself off a little bit, "It's cool. Just don't sneak up on me next time. I'll go ninja on your ass."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Listen, we're headin' out here in an hour. Rick just wanted me to let you know."

"Sweet. Let me just pack up my wardrobe of clothes and my refrigerator."

He shook his head, "Lainie's down by the quarry with the kids, Dale's got breakfast serving up at the RV if you're up for it."

I smiled, "Thanks, Shane."

"No problem."


End file.
